❝Your secret is a painting?❞ I took a few cautious steps; the hairs on my arms stood on end.
❝Not just any painting.❞ Dorian approached the easel, shadows on his face as he touched the cloth protecting it. ❝It's a dark object, the manifestation of m...
One by one we stepped through the painting, entering a world of perpetual night. The snow fell so fast and thick you couldn't see more than ten feet ahead, even with our heavy-duty LED flashlights.
"Wow." Danny signed, breath pluming through his face mask as he studied the starless, pitch night. "If my grandmother could see this... Even she wouldn't believe it." He shook his head in wonder. "Our people are Haudenosaunee. I grew up on her stories of other worlds, other times before this. She would tell me about Earth Woman, how she gave birth to Good Spirit and Evil Spirit. They were polar opposites--like the sun to the moon, life to death. Good Spirit made all the beautiful parts we see in nature--light to see by, plants to eat, forests to walk through. Evil Spirit--he made the bad parts--rocks to block your path, crows to steal from fields... blizzards, to freeze water and stall your path."
"What happened to them?" signed Vanida.
"The same thing that happened to Cain and Abel." Danny's steady gaze fastened on Dorian. "One brother killed the other."
"What do we do now?" I asked Dorian, shining my light ahead. With no path to follow, we'd have to make our own.
"One of us stays behind to guard the portal," he signed. "That person will build a fire, so the others can follow the light home."
"I'll stay," I volunteered.
Vanida shook her head. "It should be me."
"No." Danny touched her shoulder. "I'm not leaving you behind, I'll stay."
Vanida took her boyfriend's face in her hands. "They need you. And my fires are brighter than yours. Girl Scouts, remember? Besides, I'll have the flare gun. If anything happens--"
"Nothing will happen," he said firmly, wrapping his arms around her.
Dorian and I said our good-byes to Vanida, then gave her and Danny a moment alone.
"What about the red eyes?" I said in a low voice. "She'll be alone."
"Don't worry," Dorian assured, blue eyes sympathetic above his face mask. "If anything goes wrong, she'll have the portal. She can go home."
I nodded, turning to face Danny when I heard his footsteps crunching on the snow. "Everything okay?"
His brown eyes flashed, full of anger and resentment. "How many times will Vanida have to stay behind to clear up your mess?"
"Danny..." There was nothing I could say that wouldn't sound trite and useless.
"Whatever. Let's just go." Danny walked past me, leading the way into the blizzard.
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The trek was slow-going. Within five minutes, we knew finding Opal would be impossible without some sort of sign or guide.
I nearly bumped into Danny when he stopped walking.
